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Statistics show that the number of new coronavirus cases in the United States surged due to the influence of omicron mutations, but decreased after about a month. The UK is also making moves to ease quarantine measures, including the mandatory wearing of masks, as the number of confirmed cases has decreased by nearly half compared to when it skyrocketed. 



Correspondent Kim Jong-won from New York.



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The New York Times reported that as of the 18th local time, there were 756,000 new corona cases per day.



Just a few days ago, there were over 800,000 new confirmed cases a day, but the number of new infections has decreased by more than 50,000.



According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the average number of confirmed cases in a week, which rose by nearly 800,000, recently decreased by nearly 100,000 to 700,000.



As the number of confirmed cases is decreasing in various statistics like this, there are also observations that the spread of Omicron is going to slow down.



However, as the number of new hospitalized patients followed the number of confirmed cases as a leading indicator, the increase is still continuing, but the number of serious cases has decreased significantly.



[Dale Bratzler / University of Oklahoma Chief Coronavirus Supervisor: So far, during the pandemic, about a third of corona confirmed patients have been admitted to the intensive care unit. However, currently, 22% to 23% of confirmed patients are hospitalized in the intensive care unit.]



Meanwhile, the UK, which was once infected with more than 200,000 corona per day, has recently announced that the number of new confirmed cases has decreased to 100,000, which is half that number, eliminating the mandatory indoor mask and the use of vaccine passes, and the mandatory self-quarantine will soon be abolished.



British Prime Minister Johnson said, "Isn't it mandatory to be self-aware that you have the flu?" He said that he would come up with a long-term with Corona strategy, considering Corona as an endemic disease like the common cold.